Abstract
Background:
Virilism is a female disorder in which secondary male sexual characteristics develop, caused by an excessive adrenal or ovarian androgen secretion.
Case presentation:
Here, we report an unusual case of an ovarian steroid cell tumor, not otherwise specified (NOS), in a 68-year-old female who presented with androgenic alopecia, clitoromegaly and an increased muscle mass. Laboratory investigations revealed both ovarian and adrenal hyperandrogenism with an elevation of androgen precursors mimicking congenital adrenal hyperplasia. A left adnexal mass was confirmed by imaging techniques. A laparoscopic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was performed and histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of an ovarian steroid cell tumor NOS. After surgical intervention, circulating androgen levels and their precursors returned to normal values in the postmenopausal woman.
Conclusions:
A detailed anamnesis and physical examination are key to the correct diagnosis in a woman with hyperandrogenism independent of her circulating androgen profile.
Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.
Research funding: This work was supported by a grant Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (PI1400649) from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Funder Id: 10.13039/501100004587, Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. M.L.-R. has a local grant for clinical research from the Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS). CIBERDEM is also an initiative of Instituto de Salud Carlos III, partially supported by Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional FEDER.
Employment or leadership: None declared.
Honorarium: None declared.
Competing interests: The funding organization(s) played no role in the study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the report for publication.
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